Kikuo Ibe the “Father of GShock”.  The man who’s idea became a leading trendsetter in today’s youth culture with one of the most influential watches of all time.  We sat down with Ibe-san for an interview and here’s how it went down.

What has the tour experience been like? What has been your favourite city?

The Tour as been a very satisfying and pleasing experience so far, this is also my first time to Sydney Australia and Sydney is definitely number one for me because the scenery here is beautiful like the Harbour Bridge and Opera house and the people are so warm and friendly here.

Who has been one of the most interesting people you’ve meet during the G-Shock tour?

Funny enough it was during the tour while we were in Barcelona. As you remember from the press conference I threw my G-Shock watch into a big board with the bullseye, well while we where in Barcelona someone actually stole that board after the press conference and for some reason, I don’t know why, but I found this individual to be the most interesting person of the tour so far.

Is there anything you want to do here before you leave?

I visited Bondi Beach yesterday and that’s been it so far, but fortunately I have tomorrow off to do some sightseeing. Have you been to the Zoo? If you recommend I’ll go (laughs).

Do you know Steve Irwin the Crocodile Hunter?

No I don’t think I’ve heard of him before.

Do you think a crocodile can break a G-Shock watch with his jaws?

G-Shock will not be broken, but I think the crocodile will have a broken tooth if it tried.

How did the idea of collaborations with other cultures like sport, music and fashion come about?

When we feel that the GShock brand is represented correctly within a certain culture we will align our brand with that individual for collaborative projects.

Apart from touring the world for Casio are you working on anything new?

Oh yes we’re currently working on the new GPhone, just kidding… we’re always working on something new at Casio, but its top secret…

Do you still wear the DW5000 prototype?

Its too important to wear so I keep in my desk.

Is that still your favourite watch?

Yes most definitely my favourite.

We know that the G-Shock was originally designed for workmen who worked in tough environments, have you received any interest from the military?

Yes, currently the Japanese defence force use our GShock watches.

Photos by Will Lam (DS) and Anna Zhu

The New York leg of the G-Shock: Shock The World Tour saw the collaborations of professional skateboarder and acclaimed photograher Todd Jordan, hip-hop artist Redman and famous tattoo artist, Mister Cartoon from Los Angeles.

So now in Australia celebrating the G-SHOCK: Shock The World Tour Sydney, Jonathan Pease (Style Director, fashion guru and advertising executive), Dexter, HOOPS DJs and M.A.F.I.A have all designed their very own limited edition G-SHOCK watch. Here’s the inside scoop and the design inspirations.

Style Director on the hit TV show Australia’s Next Top Model and is a well-respected figure in Australian fashion, Jonathan Pease breaks down his G-Shock DW-6900CS-7.

“I like to create things that clash and create conversations. The G-SHOCK is built for brut strength so I’ve juxtaposed that toughness with a soft ‘man-bag aesthetic’. It’s not for the sexually undecided… The inspiration behind my design is iconic and overly expensive high fashion” - Jonathan Pease.

DJ Queen M.A.F.I.A. has supported the likes of Dizzee Rascal, Snoop Dogg, De La Soul, Spinderella, Vanilla Ice, Lady Gaga, Kid Cudi, Cool Kids, Ghostface Killah, A-Trak, Girl Talk, Spank Rock, Felix Da Housecat, just to name a few and is set to play Australian festivals Meredith and Summerdayze. Street-smart M.A.F.I.A. writes for several fashion publications such as Sneaker Freaker and The Vine on up and coming new trends, but she also runs popular nights in local Melbourne clubs. Here’s what she had to say about her customised Yo MAFIA DW-6900MS-1.

“My watch will pretty much be a cocktail mix of everything I am – LOUD, COLOURFUL, BOLD, IN-YO-FACE and EXTREMELY CUTE! The inspiration for my design is I’m never one to shy away from standing out in a crowd. I like to think I march to my own beat and not follow trends. Even though bright colours seem to be a thing of the past, when I first rocked G-SHOCK watches back in the day I was drawn to their brash colours and chunky silhouettes. I’m a sucker for anything from the ‘90s with a sprinkling of fluoro to represent my old school b-girl pseudonym FLUORO BREAKER!” - M.A.F.I.A on her G-SHOCK design (the only piece of jewellery she wears).

HOOPS DJs are a dynamic DJ threesome from Sydney. Bad Ezzy, Anna Lunoe and Nina Las Vegas make up the trio as they work the decks at some of the most popular nightclubs in Sydney. When they’re not spinning tracks, the girls have some interesting past times in radio, fashion and television. So how did they come up with their G-5600 TOUGH SOLAR.

“We worked on our branding together a few months ago when we worked on our website www.wearthemhoops.com. We still wanted to appear glam and blingin’, however we wanted to have a little bit more class. Hoops high-fash.”

Described by Chuck D as “the world’s most creative and original DJ” it’s no wonder DJ Dexter is a Australian DMC Champion and has become one of the finest DJ exports. Spinnin the ones and twos with a variety of hip-hop, urban, R&B, pop and straight up dance. He is known for his work with The Avalanches, and has played through Europe in 2002 and 2003 and remixed the likes of The Chemical Brothers… what a Gangsta!. Patriotic Dexter and his G-5600 TOUGH SOLAR.

“The watch I’ve designed will look like a piece of futuristic Filipino tribal warrior armor. Guard your grill! I found inspiration with 20 years of DJing this December so my creative at the moment is on all the shit I’ve done since ’89.”

The G-SHOCK: Shock The World Tour found itself in 12 major cities across the world including London, New York, Paris, Tokyo, Berlin and now Sydney! The Australian leg of the tour, held just on the outskirts of Sydney’s CBD at CarriageWorks and saw over 1000 people come through the door. The iconic G-SHOCK watch was born in 1983 and has continually evolved, infiltrating the music, fashion, and dance street cultures for its unique rough, rugged and raw innovative designs and eye-poppin colours.

The G-SHOCK watch continues to generate new movements by fusing together various cultures. These movements are gaining momentum as they spread not only in Asia and around the world but most definitely in the Land of OZ!

Checkout our exclusive footage of the official press release.

Watch this spot for our 3 part coverage of the G-Shock Shock the World Tour Sydney. We have exclusive photos and footage of the press conference, special guests, M.A.F.I.A., Hoops DJ, DJ Dexter and all the punters that partied on the night. We are also going to give you the inside scoop on the lastest G-Shock Collaborations, and our biggest ‘DS Spotlight‘, our interview with man who designed the very first G-SHOCK watch, Japanese engineer and ‘Father of G-SHOCK’ Kikuo Ibe.

Stay Tuned!

Acclaim issue 18 is out now with a Monster Mash of ingredients! Featuring Ghostface & Raekwon, Switch (Major Lazer), James Callahan, FTC, Black Scale, Gourmet Footwear and much more. If you’re in Melbourne and Sydney check out the Launch party at the Heist store and Freshin HQ, details below. Cop this issue at all good newsagents, boutiques & stores. Can’t find it… look harder!

If you haven’t yet heard about your favourite mag Sneaker Freaker and their collaboration with New Balance on the 850 model then you’ve been laying wayyyy too low.

We first got a taste of what was to come on the cover of Issue 16 of SneakerFreaker and since then we’ve been fiendin to find out more about the latest colab that SF’s been doing.

Anyway to save all of us the trouble the good folks at SneakerFreaker got around to writing up an awesome feature page about what went on behind the scenes and loads of pics to satisfy us for now.. Be sure to check it out here.

Anyway, these are slated for a 5th of December release and should be available at your local boutique store! Check back for more up to date information.